A Cop and a Kryptonian Walk Into a Bar
by rebelrsr
Summary: Maggie stops for a drink - and leaves with more than a buzz.
1. Chapter 1

Leaning an elbow on the bar, Maggie scanned the room. Slim pickings. It had been a bad idea to stop in. This crummy hole in the wall might have great booze, but it wasn't hopping at the best of times, let alone in the middle of the afternoon on a Tuesday. She'd stay long enough to slake her thirst before heading home.

"Aldebaran rum," someone announced. Maggie perked up. That wasn't a drink for beginners – or humans. Dark hair with a Mallen streak. Tight body showcased in faded jeans and a sleeveless t-shirt.

Maggie's day was suddenly looking up. She watched the woman toss back two glasses without even a grimace. The woman signaled for a refill then carry it to an empty pool table.

The view got even better. Jesus fucking Christ. Maggie felt her skin heat as the woman's jeans pulled taut over one hell of a fine ass. The lame crowd in the bar was now a godsend. Maggie made sure there was no real competition in her way before ordering another beer and a rum for her new best friend with benefits.

She sauntered over to the table as the woman scratched. "Bad luck," Maggie commiserated. "It was a tough shot, though." If you had never played pool before – or were really bad. She held out the rum. "Maybe this will help with the sting."

"Sting?" A frown marred the woman's expression. "I was not aware there were insects within the bar." Sharp green eyes scanned the room.

"Uh…" Maggie wasn't sure how to respond. "There aren't any. Insects, I mean." Those eyes were now locked on her. "'Sting' can mean the pain of failure." She waved a hand at the pool table. "When the ball didn't go in the pocket?"

A little of the woman's intensity faded. Maggie sagged in relief. Not even her first sergeant in patrol had been that level of scary. "Anyway, I thought a drink might help."

Rather than accept the drink, the woman moved back to the table and racked the balls.

Maggie tried not to scuff her toe on the floor in frustration. She rarely struck out when it came to hitting on a beautiful woman (even if that woman wasn't human). She had a reputation to uphold. Forcing her shoulders back, Maggie swaggered after her mark.

"We could play together," she offered, moving into the woman's personal space. "I mean, I'm pretty good." Maggie didn't clarify _what _she was good at. Tilting her head to one side, she widened her eyes and let the dimple in her left cheek peek out.

Maybe all wasn't lost. The woman nodded and stepped away. "I would be interested to see how this game should be played."

Maggie examined the pool cues. Missing tips. Chipped or warped surfaces. She'd have to hope her _real _"game" kept Tall, Dark, and Sexy from noticing her shots were shit. "You can break," she called out. "I'll give you some pointers."

One dark eyebrow rose, and Maggie grinned for real. "Come on. It won't hurt." Unless that's what her pool partner wanted. God, she needed to get laid. She waved a hand at the table. "Go ahead. Get set up."

The woman's arms were works of art. Muscles stood in stark relief as she stroked a hand up and down the cue. Maggie checked her chin for drool, wondering if the woman handled…other objects the same way.

Yanking her jeans down and away from her aching clit, Maggie took a position next to the woman. So close. Pressed against her, in fact. One arm touching the hand holding the cue; the other resting just above the woman's delectable ass. "Draw back slowly," she said. Then, when the woman followed the direction, Maggie murmured, "I'm Maggie, by the way."

"Maggie," the woman parroted. She did not follow Maggie's example and give her name. "What shall I do next?"

Maggie leaned in even closer. She rearranged the hand on the cue into the right position. "Aim for the number one ball. The one in front." It was a stretch, given their differences in size, to get her other arm around the woman's back. Maggie made the sacrifice, though. "Draw back the cue…"

Before she could say more, the cue shot forward and the cue ball crossed the table so hard and so fast Maggie expected the racked balls to explode on impact.

"Not very patient, are you?" Maggie asked. She tossed her hair, so it fell away from her neck.

"Is it not the point to move the balls around the table?" There was mild curiosity in the question – and in the eyes staring down at Maggie.

Maggie chuckled. "Well, yeah, but you want to move them so at least one of them goes in a pocket _and _you've got a clear second shot." She nodded at the balls scattered haphazardly across the felt. "Not a lot going your way out there, beautiful."

"You will show me more," the woman stated firmly.

"Beautiful and used to getting your way," Maggie teased. She stood slowly, letting her fingers trail up a bare arm. "It's a good thing I don't mind teaching you all my tricks." Maintaining eye contact, Maggie backed away. Down the table to a spot she could use to sink a solid-colored ball. "You want a lesson? You're going to have to get a little closer."

She waited as the woman considered her offer. Finally, Maggie got a nod of confirmation and then all that skin and those muscles were wrapped around her, pressing into her back. Voice deeper and huskier, Maggie leaned over the table. "There's a price for my knowledge."

The body at her back stiffened.

"What's your name?" Maggie said hurriedly. "And…you share a drink with me afterward." A private drink in her apartment, but Maggie left that information out.

Maggie held her breath until the woman relaxed again. "I am Astra."

"Pretty name for a pretty lady." Leaning forward more, she settled her ass against Astra's abs. "Put your hands over mine so you can feel what I'm doing."

* * *

Astra was a quick learner. Three shots later, Maggie lost her Astra-blanket. Then she watched in horror as Astra ran the table.

"You are a very good teacher, Maggie." Astra's smile was all conquering hero as she surveyed the solid-colored balls left on the felt. "We will share a drink now?"

Maggie stared at Astra's ass for the millionth time that afternoon as Astra strode toward the bar. She automatically stowed her and Astra's cues then slowly followed Astra.

"I did not know what to order for you." More Aldebaran rum sat on the bar next to Astra's elbow. "I would share mine, but…" Astra hesitated. "I do not think you would enjoy it."

Glancing at the bartender, Maggie ordered a beer. She regarded Astra thoughtfully. "One sip of Aldebaran rum would kill me." She accepted the bottle from the bartender. "The only thing I haven't figured out is which planet you're from?"

"You are not afraid of me? Because I was not born on Earth?" Astra tossed back her drink and signaled for another. Impressive.

"My last two girlfriends weren't human." She caught Astra's surprised expression. "What? You thought all humans were xenophobic assholes?" Maggie winked. "I'm sure there are plenty of people who consider me an asshole – but I don't give a flying fuck where you're from."

Astra's stare was heavy and full of something Maggie couldn't identify. Finally, though, Astra spoke. "Girlfriends." She dropped her gaze, leaving Maggie floundering from the loss. "Human sexuality lacks structure. I did not realize…"

"You wouldn't be the first to discount homosexuality." Maggie sipped her beer, watching Astra struggle with the reality of Maggie's comment.

"You mistake my meaning." This time, when Astra glanced at Maggie, the intensity was gone. One hand reached out. Astra tucked a strand of hair behind Maggie's ear. "I thought your closeness as we played to be an effective teaching tool." Her warm, rough palm cupped Maggie's cheek. "It was not."

Maggie turned her head, pressing a kiss to Astra's palm. "My place isn't far." Hopping off her barstool, Maggie removed Astra's hand from her cheek and linked their fingers. "Come on. I bet I can teach you more than a bank shot."

"You have a very high opinion on your skills," Astra commented.

"All deserved." Maggie released the full scope of her dimples. "I can get you rousing endorsements if you need them." She pulled Astra to the door. Or, she tried. Astra didn't budge no matter how much effort Maggie put into moving her.

Those beautiful lips slowly curved. Damn. Maggie _so _needed to get Astra naked and into her bed. When Astra finally followed Maggie toward the door, Maggie knew it was because Astra _wanted _to go with her.

The sun was beginning to set as they exited the bar. Not that it helped make Gotham any better. Tall buildings lost amid a haze of pollution from nearby factories. Sidewalks turned gray with whatever chemical spewed from the factories' stacks and were liberally dotted with trash. Like all the other pedestrians, Maggie hurried down the street with Astra at her heels.

"I cannot abide what humans have done to this planet," Astra said.

"Not everywhere's crap like Gotham." Maggie wasn't really interested in a discussion on the environment and global warming. She was too focused on getting home before Astra changed her mind. "If fucking Wayne Enterprises would care more about _being _green than _making _green, the air might not look like a cloud of mustard gas dumped over the city." If her bosses at GPD ever heard her opinion of Bruce Wayne and his Empire, Maggie's career as a cop would be over in a heartbeat.

Maggie had no intention of spending one more minute talking, though. Her apartment was just ahead. She unlocked the front security door. "I'm on the third floor." Before introducing Astra to the rickety stairs, Maggie went up on her toes to kiss Astra's neck. Which led to a few licks and nips because Astra was hot and tasted of sweat and woman.

Astra cursed in a language Maggie didn't recognize.

"What the fuck!" Maggie yelped as Astra scooped her into her arms and took the stairs in powerful leaps.

"Where is your key? I do not wish to break the door." There was an undercurrent of need in the words that hit Maggie with the force of a .357 slug fired at close range.

"Lock barely works anyway." But she dug in her pocket and produced her keyring. The door slammed open and then closed as Astra maneuvered them inside.

"Put me down," Maggie demanded. Astra's strength was hot as fuck, but she wasn't some Disney princess who needed a prince to do all the heavy lifting.

"Ask nicely." Astra attacked Maggie's lips with her own, and Maggie didn't have the opportunity to say anything. Her back slammed into the cheap fiberboard door. She felt the surface dent at the impact.

She grabbed handfuls of Astra's hair and pulled. Astra only chuckled. "It would take more than human strength to damage me, Maggie. Do you wish me to stop? Or will you trust that I will not harm you today?"

"I have trust issue," Maggie grumbled, "but I'll make an exception this one time."

Astra's smile was a thing of beauty. "You believe we shall stop at one?"


	2. She's the Roommate

"Give me a few minutes, Mags. I've got to get this information for J'onn and then we can go." Alex was bent over her computer, lips pressed together as she focused on the screen.

Maggie would die before telling her she found that expression cute. "No worries. Winn won't die if his favorite Mario Kart competition is a few minutes late." Dropping into the chair next to her girlfriend, she got comfortable. "What are you working on?"

The pictures and bulleted information she caught on the computer looked like it had come from a law enforcement database. One for aliens, given the number of spikes emanating from the current "person".

"The Joint Chiefs are asking for a rundown of all the Fort Rozz escapees we've either detained or eliminated." Alex's sigh seemed to come all the way from her soul. "It's a fucking long list."

"That's because J'onn's Number One Agent is a complete badass," Maggie boasted. She rubbed her foot along Alex's calf. "I hear she scares all the DEO rookies and always hits what she shoots."

Alex snorted. "If only."

About to tease Alex, Maggie froze when Alex tapped a key and a new picture came up. A woman with piercing green eyes and a white streak in her dark hair. "Who's that?" she asked in a tight voice.

Silence filled the room for a minute. "General Astra In-Ze of Krypton." Alex's hand hovered near the image. "Kara's aunt."

Kara's aunt? Jesus fucking Christ.

"We…I…" Alex faltered.

And Maggie rushed to fill the sudden lack of conversation. "It's OK, Allie. You don't have to tell me." Alex really didn't. Maggie had no desire to hear what bleak fate the DEO had dished out to Astra. Wrapping an arm around Alex, she lay her head on Alex's shoulder. "I've got you, babe."

The truth was, though, that Maggie needed Alex's warmth. The strength in the slim form pressed against her as she remembered a calloused palm cupping her cheek in her shitty Gotham apartment.

"It was way before I met you." Alex cleared her throat. "I swear I was going to tell you."

"Hey! Kara doesn't seem to blame you." Not surprising. Kara thought the sun rose and set on Alex. And, if her aunt had been in an alien prison, Kara might have considered Astra the black sheep of the noble House of El. "It's none of my business why you had to kill her aunt."

Alex went stiff and still.

Shit! Maggie silently cursed her tone-deaf comment. "I'm sorry; that wasn't what I meant to say." It had just been such a shock to see Astra after all this time. To learn…to learn that she was… Maggie couldn't even think the word.

Alex slowly swung her chair, so she faced Maggie. "Astra isn't dead," she said softly. "Not that General Lane didn't try to kill her when we had her in DEO custody." Glancing up, Alex sighed. "Remember when I told you about the Black Mercy?"

Black Mercy. Maggie frowned. "The thing that made Kara dream about Krypton?"

"Yeah." Alex rubbed the back of her neck. A sure sign that she was uncomfortable or embarrassed. "Astra's the one who told me how to save Kara."

There was more to the situation than that. Maggie waited Alex out.

"I convinced her to turn herself in and eventually she gave us the information to stop Myriad and beat Non." Alex's gaze slid away. "J'onn lobbied the President and got Astra a Presidential Pardon – but Astra had to be supervised until she proved she was going to be an asset to the DEO."

Maggie started to piece together the rest of the story. The part Alex _wasn't _telling her. "She's the roommate." The owner of the odd article of clothing in a drawer and the collection of art supplies that Alex didn't have the skill or inclination to use.

When Alex blushed, Maggie made the final connection. "Unless you bought a new couch, Danvers, there's only one bed in your apartment." They'd shared Astra as a lover. Maggie started to laugh.

"Hey!" Alex slapped at Maggie's arm, skin a fiery red.

It only made Maggie laugh harder.

Still blushing but beginning to look annoyed at Maggie's mirth, Alex turned back to her computer and pounded a few keys. Astra's image disappeared as Alex finalized the report. The tight line to Alex's jaw helped quell Maggie's laughter. "Don't be like that, Danvers. You'll think it's funny, too."

Waiting until Alex sent off the report, Maggie leaned back in her chair. "You ever play pool with Astra?"

"What?" Alex stared at Maggie in confusion.

"Bear with me, babe." Maggie gave up on lounging and scooted as close as possible to Alex. "I'll explain in a minute."

"A few times. She's a shark, though. I wasn't much of a challenge." Alex tilted her head, and Maggie smirked. "She reminds me a lot of you. I stopped playing with her. It's too demoralizing."

The smirk grew. "Once upon a time, a cop and a Kryptonian walked into a bar…"

* * *

Alex glanced over her shoulder and raised an eyebrow. Maggie clearly read the unspoken question: Are you ready?

So, so ready. Maggie stepped behind Alex as Alex knocked on Kara's door.

It sprang open immediately. _Someone _had been spying. "You're late! I thought you weren't coming!" Kara grabbed Alex and towed her inside, leaving Maggie to trail behind. It worked perfectly for their plan.

"I had to work." A chorus of voices called hellos. "Stop gripping me, Kar. I'm not sure my feet are on the floor anymore." Their forward progress halted. "Plus, Maggie and I stopped to get something special for tonight."

That was her cue. Maggie stepped around Alex, and only years of training disguised the way she searched the room for one guest in particular. Alex's hand landed on her shoulder. Fingers tightening. "Aldebaran rum." Maggie's voice tangled in her throat as Astra's eyes widened at the announcement. "It's supposed to a favorite on Krypton."


End file.
